North Wales on a plate: The best local produce and the boltholes made for cooking it

One of the great pleasures of a North Wales escape is how easily the landscape ends up on your plate.

The waters around Anglesey supply exceptional seafood, small farms grow fruit and vegetables full of flavour, and local producers create everything from craft beer to golden toffee spirits. Spend a morning exploring farm shops and fishmongers, and you’ll quickly find yourself carrying bags of ingredients that deserve more than a quick supper.

Luckily, many of our boltholes are made exactly for that moment: kitchens built for cooking properly, terraces that turn dinner into an occasion, and views that make lingering at the table irresistible.

Here are a few of our favourite places to gather the best local produce, and the boltholes we’d head back to with it.

Sustainable seafood from the Menai Strait, and supper overlooking the water

The Menai Strait is one of the most fascinating stretches of water in Britain. Fast tidal currents surge between Anglesey and the mainland, creating a rich marine environment that produces exceptional seafood.

That’s exactly what you’ll find at Menai Seafood Company, specialists in responsibly sourced fish and shellfish, much of it landed along the Welsh coast. Founded by marine biologists and passionate seafood lovers, their approach is refreshingly thoughtful, working closely with fishermen they know personally and encouraging customers to embrace whatever the day’s catch happens to bring.

It means you might leave with plump mussels, freshly landed fish or scallops ready for the pan. The sort of ingredients that don’t need much doing to them, just good company and a kitchen with a view.

Which is precisely why we’d head straight back to Glan y Môr Menai.

Perched on the waterside along Beach Road in Menai Bridge, the house is designed to make the most of its position on the strait. The open-plan kitchen and living space stretches along the length of the house, with bi-fold doors opening onto a raised deck so the water is never out of sight. It’s the kind of kitchen where cooking becomes a shared affair – someone prepping fish, someone pouring wine, someone else leaning on the island watching the boats go by.

And the view is endlessly entertaining with yachts, kayakers and powerboats all navigating the famously strong tides of the strait, while the water is constantly shifting colour with the light. Throw open the doors, cook something simple and fresh, and settle in for a long evening watching the tide roll through.

From left to right: Glan y Môr Menai’s balcony, Menai Seafood Company counter

A traditional butcher and a cottage within castle walls

If you find yourself along the north coast, Edwards of Conwy is well worth a stop. Established in 1984 and now something of an institution, this family-run butcher has built a reputation for exceptional Welsh meat, traditional curing methods and a deep respect for provenance.

Step inside and the counters are a showcase of craft. Locally osurced beef and lamb, dry-cured bacon, handmade sausages and award-winning pies, all prepared with the kind of knowledge that comes from decades of experience.

With something scrumptious tucked under your arm, we’d head just down the road to Cockleshell Cottage in Conwy.

Tucked just inside the famous 800-year-old town walls, this cottage feels like a hidden pocket of calm within one of North Wales’ most atmospheric towns. Inside, the space is light and thoughtfully put together, traditional touches like the stone inglenook fireplace and wooden dining table balanced by a modern kitchen that’s perfectly set up for cooking.

After a wander through Conwy’s narrow streets or along the harbour, it’s easy to imagine returning here with fresh fish ready for the pan. Open a bottle, cook something simple, and if the evening is warm step outside to the tiny courtyard for a pre-dinner G&T. Later, the balcony off the bunk room offers a completely different perspective: views across the castle walls and out towards Conwy Bay. Not a bad place to sit with a glass of wine while the town settles down for the night.

From left to right: Counter at Edwards of Conwy, Cockleshell Cottage living area

Anglesey farm produce and a bolthole made for sociable cooking

For something grown a little closer to the soil, Hooton’s Homegrown is one of Anglesey’s best-loved farm shops.

Still family-run, the farm has evolved over decades from growing potatoes and cereals into a thriving farm shop and pick-your-own operation producing fruit, vegetables and meat directly from the land around it. Their ethos is simple: food metres, not miles. Much of what you’ll find has been grown or raised on the farm itself, which makes the flavours that bit fresher and more satisfying.

In summer the pick-your-own fields add to the experience: strawberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants ready to harvest straight from the plants.

Tucked away along a private drive within a quiet collection of converted barn buildings, Afon Menai is a bolthole that lends itself beautifully to cooking and slowing down. The open plan kitchen, dining and living space is light-filled and easy, somewhere that invites you to unpack your ingredients and start preparing something good without any rush.

Doors slide open onto a sheltered terrace, where evenings can drift outdoors. The barbecue is ready for fresh produce, whether that’s vegetables picked up from Hooton’s or something local from the coast, while the hot tub sits waiting for later, when the light fades and the sky begins to fill with stars.

From left to right: Afon menai, pick your own at Hooton’s Homegrown

Local spirits, craft beer and a garden made for long evenings

The Llŷn Peninsula has become a hub for small, passionate producers, and two local favourites make a good excuse to stock up before heading back to your bolthole.

Toffoc, a golden toffee-flavoured spirit, was created after years of experimentation to find the perfect balance: not too sweet, not too heavy, and just strong enough to sip slowly. You’ll often find it stocked at Gwin Llŷn Wines, alongside an excellent selection of bottles from Wales and beyond.

Not far away in Nefyn, Cwrw Llŷn produces small-batch beers inspired by the landscapes around them. Founded by a group of friends over a conversation and a pint, the brewery still works on a relatively small scale, crafting characterful ales that reflect the peninsula’s relaxed, sociable spirit.

With bottles gathered from both, we’d make our way back to Hafan Nefyn.

Set right on the headland above Traeth Nefyn, this is a house that naturally draws everyone together as the day winds down. Inside, the kitchen and dining space is light-filled, with a long table ready for easy dinners and drinks that stretch well into the evening.

When the weather plays along, evenings drift outside. The barbecue patio is perfectly placed for grilling, opening another bottle, and watching the light fade over the bay. With very little light pollution, the sky deepens into something vast and star-filled.

From left to right: a selection of beer from Cwrw Llyn, Hafan Nefyn’s living room